Scott's ethics rule: transition team banned from lobbying admin for 1 year

Gov.-elect Rick Scott made the first policy announcement of his transition Wednesday, imposing a one-year lobbying ban on any member of his transition team and naming Gov. Charlie Crist's open government coordinator, Pat Gleason, to handle public records for the transition.

In 1998, incoming Gov. Jeb Bush imposed a similar rule on his transition team and in 2006, Crist followed suit. Scott has tapped three of Bush's former advisors to advise him in the transition effort and two of Crist's. Scott is also expected to name additional members of his team in the coming days.

Gleason, currently the director of Cabinet Affairs and special counsel for open government in the Executive Office of the Governor, briefed Scott's transition team the day after the election and is considered one of the state's top experts on Florida’s Sunshine and Public Record laws.

Scott also announced that Chris Kise, former solictor general under Crist and a partner in the Foley & Lardner law firm, will serve as counselor to the transition, providing legal and strategic advice.

Scott has named a nine-member transition team that includes outgoing U.S. Sen. George LeMieux and former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings, two prominent former Bush staffers, Sally Bradshaw and Kathleen Shanahan are on the team, Sweetwater Mayor Manny Marono, former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre (the only Democrat), Rep. Mike Weinstein, R-Jacksonville, and Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, and former lawmaker, Bill Galvano of Bradenton.